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The Telemarketing Charity Racket

Using public records, the LAT reports on the appallingly small amount of funds raised through telemarketing that actually go to the charities who hire for-profit fundraisers. Charles Piller and Doug Smith write:

According to a comprehensive review of state records filed over a decade, the problem of paltry returns extends well beyond what has been reported in recent years among benevolent societies for police, firefighters and veterans. It affects charities large and small, well-known and obscure. It spans a range of causes, including child and animal welfare, health research and opposition to drunk driving.

I understand the argument that these fundraisers are prospecting for people who will become larger donors over time, but their methods are not only inefficient but annoying and misleading. What we need is a campaign that tells people to do their civic duty and hang up on telemarketers, who degrade life for everyone with a telephone.